EXCLUSIVE: After announcing new docs on NFL Hall of Famer Mel Blount and MLB icon Tommy John in Whatever It Takes and The Bionic Man, respectively, Winter State Entertainment has unveiled The Hitman: A Tommy Hearns Story as its latest sports documentary.
The boxing pic directed by Winter State principals Hamid and Camille Torabpour, which wrapped production prior to the strikes, spotlights Tommy ‘The Hitman’ Hearns, the legendary Detroit fighter who, between 1977 and 2006, became the first multi-weight champion king, after winning in five different weight divisions.
Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the summer of 2012, Hearns is known for displaying one of the most devastating punches in the history of his sport. The film on him from the Torabpours will look in depth at both his illustrious boxing career and his broader life journey, watching as he’s compelled to enter the ring after watching Muhammad Ali box on TV.
Hearn learned the fundamentals under Emanuel Steward at the legendary Kronk gym and fought his way up from Detroit, enthroning himself as one of the Four Kings in the Golden Age of boxing during the 1980s, when he battled against such boxing greats as Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Durán, and Marvin Hagler. His crushing right hook and combos delivered 48 KOs, forever defining him as the “Motor City Cobra” and “The Hitman.”
In addition to interviews with the aforementioned boxing legends Leonard and Durán, as well as former pro boxer James Toney and actor Martin Lawrence, The Hitman will spotlight never-before-seen training sessions and special moments between Hearns and Ali. Hamid and Camille Torabpour are producing alongside Peter Wise, Thomas Hearns Jr., Nick Hagen and their Winter State Entertainment, with post-production currently underway for a sale to a streamer within the next year.
Said Hamid and Camille Torabpour in a statement to Deadline, “We are thrilled to announce “The Hitman” as our next documentary. There’s so much more to Tommy Hearns and his undeniable role in boxing history. Very few have had the privilege to peer into his life outside the ring. This is a story of overcoming adversity and finding greatness.”
Camille went on to note that “Tommy is such an icon yet his family is as important to him as his legacy,” with Wise adding that “Tommy gave so much to Detroit. He was a man of the people. He was a champion who experienced the highest of highs and the most bitter defeats.
“Throughout all of it, he was always giving,” the latter producer continued. “His story and his wisdom needs to be shared with the next generation of boxers, it’s time to give him his flowers.”
Added Hearns himself, “Many people saw my life in the ring but I have so much more to tell. In working with Hamid, Camille, Peter and my son Thomas Jr., these stories can shed light on my life, my experience, and spread knowledge to the next generation for their career and lives.”
Also in the works from Winter State Entertainment, as previously announced, are the documentaries ROAF and Kitty to Cooperstown, on Pro Football Hall of Famer Willie Roaf and MLB great Jim “Kitty’ Kaat. In addition to these docs, the company will soon deliver projects spanning civil rights, social justice issues and more, with further sports stories in football, baseball, basketball and hockey also on the way.
The Torabpours are represented by Karen Gottlieb at Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks.